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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Meet Alyson Clair: Our New Knits Guru!

Super exciting news today, readers. Remember when I posted about using stay tapes on wovens, several of you requested a guest post on knits? Well, I have something even better. A whole series on sewing knits from knitwear designer Alyson Clair! Alyson takes her inspiration from vintage designs, so she's a perfect fit here. Please give her a warm welcome! (Also: have specific questions about sewing with knits that you'd like to see addressed in a future post? Please write them in the comments below.)

Hello and greetings from the fair city of Portland, Oregon!

Last month I had the pleasure of finding this blog via a friend, and I have been hooked ever since!

My name is Alyson Clair. I'm an apparel designer/technical designer/pattern grader/marker maker/cutter/sewer/NERD! Basically I just like to make pretty things all day.

I grew up on a llama farm in a small town in Oregon. My mother ran a llama yarn business out of our home. I always had my hands busy with some sort of project. When not running around the woods or being out in the llama fields, I was thrifting from an early age. My family rolled their eyes (and still does) at the treasures I would recover from thrift stores. I have a strong affinity to the 1920s through early 1960's. My first car was a 1961 Bel Air, and the first summer I could drive I had two jobs: one at a thrift store (where I know I didn't make any money), and the other as snack bar gal at the local drive in movie theater. The drive-in was built in 1954 and is still currently in its original state.

I love what I do; working on clothing all day is super fun. And my main focus is sewing and designing with knits. I'm a busy bee and do lots of different projects for a variety of companies and designers: from vintage home patterns to being the patternmaker in an apparel factory. However, my main focus is my clothing line, Clair Vintage Inspired.

The goal of my line is to be the most favorite thing in your closet. I take vintage design inspirations and make them into comfortable knits. I also make a good variety of sizes, XS(4/6) through XL(16/18). As a designer it's more meaningful to me to see people on the street wearing my designs, than seeing them on a runway or in a fashion spread. There's room for boobs, butts, and curves. Fit and comfort are very important to me, as well as looking good. Another priority is making all of my goodies in the United States. Did you know that 95% of apparel is made overseas? I think it's incredibly important to support local economies and to know who is making your clothing, and how and where it's being made.

Here are some of my favorite pieces from past and current seasons.

Be on the lookout for some upcoming posts about sewing with knits from me. Gertie has given me a fun list of questions from you lovely readers. I 'll answer them, and hopefully teach you about something I absolutely love.

35 comments:

There are many home seamstresses who do not own a serger but would love to sew with a knit fabric. Any suggestions on what style pattern to choose when in this predicament? Also, I share your opinion on buying local. Look forward to your posts.

I am very excited about your posting. It is timely for me. I finished my first knit dress yesterday. (Yes, I used stay tape on the shoulders.) I made a couple of knit t-shirts in a local knit class a year or so ago, but did not end up making anything I was excited to wear. I finally feel like I conquered my coverhem machine yesterday. I am excited about your posting.

Claire, I was just visiting your website and you have awesome stuff there, talk about inspiration! I'm looking forward your posts because I'm starting to experiment with knits and any help in that dept.is more than welcome, yay! (also no serger here and having problems finding stay tape in local shops).

Your designs are beautiful. I'm excited to read your posts. I'm a home sewer but am interested to hear anything you can share about commercial designing and sewing of knits. There are so many resources for designing and sewing wovens but so few for knits which is too bad given that so much of ready-to-wear and my wardrobe is knit. I also only use a sewing machine but I'd be interested in information on other machines that are used in industry and their advantages but also how to use regular sewing machines to the best advantage. Thanks.

Welcome Clair! Wow, you do know you're saying all the right things, don't you? From fitting real bodies, to local manufacturing, to vintage inspiration, I mean. I'm looking forward to your post and Gertie, thank you very much for orginizing this!

I just saw the Clair site yesterday for the first time and loved it! I'd really like expert advice on laying out and cutting knits(the shifty, stretchy or rolly-upy variety). How in the heck do you cut out pattern pieces from fabric that has a lot of movement and is different each time you lay it out? Everything I've completed in a knit shifts to the right and tries to crawl off my left boob and has my right one in a choke hold! I'd also really like some educ. on how to choose the right knit for the right project and how to know what you're getting when you order knits online. Oh, and I'd like to know how to adjust ease in knit garments. How awesome that Alyson is here!

I totally love your collection...I've avoided knits like the plague because all that shifting makes me crazy and they seem to get off grain like nobody's business...how in the world do you cut them out and keep them on grain?

Wow! Thank you, Gertie! Welcome, Alyson! I just returned from a week-long vacation in Portland, and I am absolutely in love with that city. I just wish I would have known about your line when I was there and went to the shops to see it for myself! Your designs are wonderful -- simple and beautiful and wearable. What a great idea to combine vintage inspiration with the comfort of knit fabrics. Can't wait for your posts -- I have much to learn about sewing knits. Perhaps it would be possible to do a series of posts around a specific project? For example, you can pick a knit dress pattern and show how you put it together, from laying out the pattern, cutting, finishing the edges, hems and neckline. I would really like to see how professionals handle sewing knits in real life but without industrial equipment and learn about construction sequence and techniques used for knits. Every time I sew knits myself, it seems like it's more complicated than it should be, and I am sure it's because of my amateur approach.

Gertie, just when I thought your blog couldn't get any better....here you go & enlist Alyson. And what great timing! Jo-Mar Fabrics in Philly--perhaps the world's best discount fabric emporium--has so many knits (bolt-ends from design houses, many of them). I look and covet, but don't buy because I have zero experience sewing knits & don't want to mess up that great fabric. I look forward to what you have to share, Alyson!

Dear Gertie, thank you for sharing Alyson's style and expertise with us. Since I found you, I have been so inspired! I am dealing with the unfortunate gravitational pull of middle age and would love some tips about knit sewing that suits a real body with-out looking matronly. Great style is available at any age if you Sew! I love Olga's idea of a sew along project. I have sewn for a long time and find that there is always more to learn. I have two sergers, one that I have barely used and have never even used the cover-stitch function. My Bernina dealer was rather overwhelmed with it as well. Any info to assist is also appreciated. On-line sourcing would be great too. I have purchased many items on-line that I would not have bought if I had seen them in person. I'll stop now....thanks again.

Love your blog and am excited about futures posts. Rachael mentioned about buying knits and how to know what your getting... my question along with that is where to buy? My fabric stores usually only carry a couple [ugly] knits, usually rib knits and so I'm usually at a loss. Also- but somewhat out there- I recently endeavored to sew a bathing suit but had a problem with sewing the elastic on: is there a secret to sewing elastic on knits so tha it won't buch when you wear it? I gently stretched the elastic while sewing but it got weird when I put it on. (I know this is different than other fashion knits, but I thought I might just ask in case anyone knew!)

I'm planning to make a knit cardigan soon, and I'm a bit curious about making buttonholes on a knit fabric. Should I interface? Sew them by hand or use my machine's buttonholer? Is there any way to prevent the awkward stretching that you see on many commercially produced knit garments' buttonholes?

whoo! thanks alyson for being willing to offer up your expertise and thanks gertie for setting this up! i hope you will give some advice to sewing knits with a regular sewing machine, because I don't have a serger.

Holy wow! I have the black and gray dress pictured. Bought it on Mississippi in Portland before I learned to sew. It's one of my favorite dresses, so it's safe to say that I'll be paying attention to these posts!

OOOOO!!! I am so excited! I don't have a serger but would love to sew knits. I have a Bernina that is 35 year old and it works great. I am afraid of knits. When I zigzag to finish edges they scallop. What type stitch is best to use, stitch length, needle, finishing, stablizing, I need it all. And, YES, buy local!

Dear Alyson -- So here I am surfing the net and come across your name. That is so great that you are taking part in this blog. We're having our next Sew Knits class in January. We should figure out some way for you to show your styles to the students. Maybe something in conjunction with our Machine Knitting classes?